Tuesday, January 21, 2014

In the bench you have Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron
and Ishwar Pandey ~ theoretically none posing a serious challenge to the man
who has played 71 matches taking 101 wickets …. But his performance in the last
10 matches as you see in the end will make you realize the need for replacing
him.

After the Napier win, Brendon McCullum and
Mitchell McClenaghan, the bowler who did the most damage, have both said they
were glad at how the bouncers worked against India - four specialist batsmen
fell pulling - and that there will be no let-up despite the absence of Adam
Milne, who consistently bowled around 150kmph in his first spell. Milne is out of the rest of the series due to injury and
fast bowler Hamish Bennett is the replacement. According to a New Zealand
Cricket (NZC) release, an MRI scan revealed a torn abdominal muscle will
sideline Milne for approximately six weeks. Milne finished with figures of 1
for 40 in 7.3 overs before leaving the field midway through the 41st over with
what appeared to be a side strain. Bennett, 26, has played one Test and 12 ODIs
forNew
Zealand. Hamish Bennett, a fast bowler forCanterbury, received his firstNew
Zealandcall-up for the tour
ofBangladeshin 2010. He made his
debut at Ahmedabad where Harbhajan made his maiden century.

The venue for the 2nd onedayer might be the closest to home for India. It has
slowed down recently, has been helping spinners, has short boundaries, and
should bring India good memories of comfortable wins earlier here.
It is - Seddon Park in Hamilton, the 4th largest city in New Zealand and
is renowned for its "village green" setting, affording a picnic
atmosphere for spectators. The Stadium was named after the former New Zealand
Prime Minister Richard John (King Dick) Seddon.

Hamilton (Māori: Kirikiriroa) is the seat and
most populous city of the Waikato Region, in the North Island of New Zealand. The
area now covered by the city of Hamilton was originally the site of a handful of Māori
villages. The Waikato River is the
longest river in New Zealand, running for 425 kilometres through the North
Island. It rises in the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro
River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. The
present course of the river was largely formed by the large volcanic eruption
from the Lake Taupo volcanic complex hundreds of years ago. The name Waikato comes
from the Māori language and translates as flowing water.

More than 3 decades ago – after that great
victory in Melbourne – India played ODI no. 117 on 15th Feb 1981 at
Hamilton. India lost the match by 57
runs after restricting the Kiwis to 210 thanks to tight bowling by Kapil.

Incidentally, this was the only One dayer ever
captained by the little master – classy Gundappa Vishwanath, the stylist known
for his delicate late-cuts and square cuts.
In a career spanning 91 tests (6080 runs), Vishy played 25 One dayers
and captained this match as Gavaskar did not play.

Getting back, here is Ishant Sharma’s bowling
performance in the last 10 one day matches, he played. Really a surprise that he is still playing
after the mauling that Faulkner handed in India, taking the match away in that
single over of Ishant……….